The present technology relates to compositions and in vitro methods for measuring C-peptide binding by cells. Such compositions and methods may be used in methods of diagnosing, monitoring, and treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated or autoimmune diseases.
MS is a demyelinating disease that is associated with the immune-mediated destruction of myelin that insulates and protects axons in the central nervous system. MS is one of a group of disorders that can be characterized as autoimmune diseases.
About 1 in 1,000 people in the United States has MS, while about 1-2 million people worldwide are thought to have MS. The number of people tested for MS is significantly higher. This is largely because not all symptoms are present in all MS patients, and MS can be characterized, in some cases, as episodic, with short to long periods of clinical remission. Common symptoms of MS include, e.g., fatigue, weakness, spasticity, balance problems, bladder and bowel problems, numbness, vision loss, tremor and vertigo. Due to the broad range of symptoms and the manner in which they present (which may be very subtle), the diagnosis of MS may take months to years. For example, physicians often must combine detailed patient histories and perform both neurological and physiological examinations of people presenting with symptoms. A definitive diagnosis of MS requires time (i.e., at least two separate symptomatic events or changes on Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI, over time) and measurable dissemination of the disease (i.e., at least two separate locations within the central nervous system, which can be demonstrated by MRI or neurological exam). Thus, proper and effective treatment of patients may be delayed during this diagnostic phase. Furthermore, current tests for MS can be costly and invasive—e.g., MRI scans, electrophysiological tests, and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. In short, there is a need for new methods and compositions for diagnosing MS and other immune-mediated diseases.